Internet Engineering Task Force                            S. Hollenbeck
Internet-Draft                                             Verisign Labs
Intended status: Standards Track                         August 31, 2012
Expires: March 4, 2013


      Security Services for the Registration Data Access Protocol
                  draft-hollenbeck-weirds-rdap-sec-00

Abstract

   The Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP) provides "RESTful" web
   services to retrieve registration metadata from domain name and
   regional internet registries.  This document describes information
   security services and their application to RDAP.

Status of this Memo

   This Internet-Draft is submitted in full conformance with the
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   This Internet-Draft will expire on March 4, 2013.

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   document authors.  All rights reserved.

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   described in the Simplified BSD License.




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Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
   2.  Conventions Used in This Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
     2.1.  Acronyms and Abbreviations  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
   3.  Information Security Services and RDAP  . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
     3.1.  Authentication  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
     3.2.  Availability  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
     3.3.  Data Confidentiality  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
     3.4.  Data Integrity  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
     3.5.  Non-repudiation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
   4.  IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
   5.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
   6.  Acknowledgements  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
   7.  References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
     7.1.  Normative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
     7.2.  Informative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
   Author's Address  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

































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1.  Introduction

   The Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP) core is specified in two
   documents: "Unified Registration Data Access Protocol Query Format"
   [I-D.hollenbeck-weirds-unified-rdap-query] and "JSON Responses to
   RESTful URL Queries for RIRs and DNRs"
   [I-D.newton-weirds-unified-json-response].  One goal of RDAP is to
   provide security services that do not exist in the WHOIS [RFC3912]
   protocol, including authentication, availability, data
   confidentiality, data integrity, and non-repudiation (note: some of
   these might be a stretch).

   This document describes each of these security services from the
   perspective of RDAP requirements and applicability.  Where
   applicable, informational references to requirements for a WHOIS
   replacement service [RFC3707] are noted.


2.  Conventions Used in This Document

   The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
   "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this
   document are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119 [RFC2119].

2.1.  Acronyms and Abbreviations

      DNR: Domain Name Registry

      RDAP: Registration Data Access Protocol

      RIR: Regional Internet Registry


3.  Information Security Services and RDAP

   RDAP itself does not include native security services.  Instead, RDAP
   relies on features that are available in other protocol layers to
   provide needed security services including authentication,
   availability, data confidentiality, data integrity, and non-
   repudiation.  A description of each of these security services can be
   found in RFC 4949 [RFC4949].

3.1.  Authentication

   WHOIS does not provide features to identify and authenticate clients.
   As noted in section 3.1.4.2 of RFC 3707 [RFC3707], there is utility
   in allowing server operators to offer "varying degrees of access
   depending on policy and need".  Clients have to be identified and



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   authenticated to provide that utility.

   There are multiple ways to identify and authenticate RDAP clients.
   Examples include:

   -  HTTP Basic Authentication [RFC2617]: The "basic" scheme can be
      used to send a client's user name and password to a server in
      plaintext, based64-encoded form.  If this scheme is used another
      protocol (such as HTTP Over TLS [RFC2818]) MUST be used to protect
      the client's credentials from disclosure while in transit.

   -  HTTP Digest Authentication [RFC2617]: The "digest" scheme can be
      used to authenticate a client without exposing the client's
      plaintext password.

   -  X.509 Digital Certificates [RFC5280]: The Transport Layer Security
      Protocol [RFC5246] includes an option to identify and authenticate
      clients who possess and present a valid X.509 digital certificate.
      Web clients do not typically possess digital certificates so this
      option is likely impractical.

   -  (What else?  We've talked about OAuth, but it's a bit more
      complicated.)

3.2.  Availability

   An RDAP service has to be available to be useful (need to talk about
   denial of service, anycasting, and anything else that addresses
   availability).

3.3.  Data Confidentiality

   WHOIS does not provide the ability to encrypt data while in transit
   to protect it from inadvertent disclosure.  Web services commonly use
   HTTP Over TLS [RFC2818] to provide that protection.  Examples of data
   confidentiality utility include:

   -  Encryption to protect plaintext passwords exchanged when using the
      HTTP "basic" authentication scheme.

   -  Encryption to protect personal or otherwise sensitive data
      returned in response to RDAP queries.

   -  (What else?)

   If data confidentiality is useful, we should also plan to review the
   JSON Web Encryption draft [I-D.ietf-jose-json-web-encryption].




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3.4.  Data Integrity

   TBD: is there value in signed responses?  If so, the work being done
   in the JOSE working group (such as what's described in the JSON Web
   Signature draft [I-D.ietf-jose-json-web-signature]) may be useful.
   There's no mention of a "signed response" requirement in RFC 3707.

3.5.  Non-repudiation

   TBD: does it make sense to talk about proof of integrity and data
   origin authentication for responses?  It might in the context of law
   enforcement actions.  Again, there's no requirement mentioned in RFC
   3707.


4.  IANA Considerations

   This document does not specify any IANA actions.


5.  Security Considerations

   TBD


6.  Acknowledgements

   The authors would like to acknowledge the following individuals for
   their contributions to this document: Andrew Newton.


7.  References

7.1.  Normative References

   [I-D.hollenbeck-weirds-unified-rdap-query]
              Newton, A., Hollenbeck, S., Ranjbar, K., Servin, A., and
              B. Ellacott, "Unified Registration Data Access Protocol
              Query Format",
              draft-hollenbeck-weirds-unified-rdap-query-00 (work in
              progress), August 2012.

   [I-D.newton-weirds-unified-json-response]
              Newton, A., Hollenbeck, S., Ranjbar, K., Servin, A., and
              B. Ellacott, "JSON Responses to RESTful URL Queries for
              RIRs and DNRs",
              draft-newton-weirds-unified-json-response-00 (work in
              progress), August 2012.



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   [RFC2119]  Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
              Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997.

   [RFC2617]  Franks, J., Hallam-Baker, P., Hostetler, J., Lawrence, S.,
              Leach, P., Luotonen, A., and L. Stewart, "HTTP
              Authentication: Basic and Digest Access Authentication",
              RFC 2617, June 1999.

   [RFC2818]  Rescorla, E., "HTTP Over TLS", RFC 2818, May 2000.

   [RFC5246]  Dierks, T. and E. Rescorla, "The Transport Layer Security
              (TLS) Protocol Version 1.2", RFC 5246, August 2008.

   [RFC5280]  Cooper, D., Santesson, S., Farrell, S., Boeyen, S.,
              Housley, R., and W. Polk, "Internet X.509 Public Key
              Infrastructure Certificate and Certificate Revocation List
              (CRL) Profile", RFC 5280, May 2008.

7.2.  Informative References

   [I-D.ietf-jose-json-web-encryption]
              Jones, M., Rescorla, E., and J. Hildebrand, "JSON Web
              Encryption (JWE)", draft-ietf-jose-json-web-encryption-05
              (work in progress), July 2012.

   [I-D.ietf-jose-json-web-signature]
              Jones, M., Bradley, J., and N. Sakimura, "JSON Web
              Signature (JWS)", draft-ietf-jose-json-web-signature-05
              (work in progress), July 2012.

   [RFC3707]  Newton, A., "Cross Registry Internet Service Protocol
              (CRISP) Requirements", RFC 3707, February 2004.

   [RFC3912]  Daigle, L., "WHOIS Protocol Specification", RFC 3912,
              September 2004.

   [RFC4949]  Shirey, R., "Internet Security Glossary, Version 2",
              RFC 4949, August 2007.













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Author's Address

   Scott Hollenbeck
   Verisign Labs
   12061 Bluemont Way
   Reston, VA  20190
   US

   Email: shollenbeck@verisign.com
   URI:   http://www.verisignlabs.com/









































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